India were underdogs when they beat the West Indies to win their first World Cup in 1983 and the 2023 tournament hosts are strong favourites to be crowned world champions for the third time this year.
Rohit Sharma's men are 11/5 to lift the trophy in Ahmedabad on 19th November and India made the most of home advantage in the 2011 World Cup when a team including MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and a young Virat Kohli defeated Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
Rahul Dravid was a prolific runscorer for India between 1996 and 2012, earning the nickname 'The Wall' because of his immaculate defensive technique, and he started his coaching career with the India Under-19 team.
A calm, methodical character, Dravid was appointed India's head coach in November 2021. Results under him have generally been positive although India failed to make the final of the 2022 Asia Cup and suffered a 10-wicket rout against England in November's T20 World Cup semi-final.
1975 Group stage
1979 Group stage
1983 Winners
1987 Semi-finals
1992 Group stage
1996 Semi-finals
1999 Super 6 stage
2003 Runners-up
2007 Group stage
2011 Winners
2015 Semi-finals
2019 Semi-finals
1. Rohit Sharma
2. Shubman Gill
3. Virat Kohli
4. Shreyas Iyer
5. KL Rahul
6. Hardik Pandya
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Shardul Thakur
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Jasprit Bumrah
11. Mohammed Siraj
Home advantage is a huge factor for India as they have won 18 of their 24 ODIs on their own patch since the 2019 World Cup.
Their star batsmen have formidable records in 50-over cricket. Only the legendary Tendulkar has made more ODI centuries than Virat Kohli while captain Rohit Sharma has the highest individual score in the format – 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 – and Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan have both smashed double-centuries in the past year.
India's spin attack looks as strong as ever and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami pose a serious threat with the new ball.
While India's top three of Rohit, Gill and Kohli is imposing, a couple of early wickets could expose an undercooked middle-order. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have had injury-disrupted preparation for the tournament and Suryakumar Yadav is struggling to convert his stunning T20 performances to the 50-over stage.
India's lower-order batting is a little weaker than that of their rivals, particularly England, and their record at major tournaments is underwhelming considering their enormous talent pool and the success of the IPL.
India have won the 50-over World Cup only twice in 12 attempts, suffering a surprise defeat to New Zealand in the 2019 semi-finals, and they failed to reach the final of the last three T20 World Cups.
Virat Kohli
A World Cup winner in 2011, Kohli is arguably the greatest batsman in ODI history, especially in run-chases as he averages well over 60 when India are batting second.
He had a long, frustrating spell without an international century from November 2019 to September 2022 but kicked off 2023 with ODI scores of 113 and 166 not out against Sri Lanka.
Kohli hit eight sixes in his second ton against the Lankans, the most he has managed in an ODI innings, and he will be aiming to continue that aggressive approach at the World Cup.
Hardik Pandya
Vice-captain Hardik Pandya has a big role to play for India, batting at number six and offering a useful option with the ball after overcoming his injury problems.
He opened the bowling in all three of India's ODIs against the West Indies at the end of July and in September he scored an impressive 87 off 90 balls against Pakistan in the Asia Cup after Rohit, Gill, Kohli and Iyer were all dismissed cheaply.
Having made his name as an explosive T20 hitter for Mumbai Indians, Hardik has matured into a multi-faceted cricketer. He showcased his tactical nous and leadership qualities by captaining Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their maiden season in 2022, earning the player-of-the-match award in the final for his 3-17 and 34.
Jasprit Bumrah
India's ace fast bowler missed last year's T20 World Cup after back surgery and only returned to international cricket on August's tour of Ireland.
At his best, Bumrah can be devastating at both ends of the innings and he picked up two wickets in his first five balls of his comeback T20 international in Dublin.
The unconventional paceman took his 100th ODI wickets in his 57th appearance – World Cup teammate Shami is the only India bowler to reach the landmark faster.
And Bumrah gave world champions England a reminder of his quality at The Oval in July 2022, dismissing Jason Roy, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow on his way to figures of 6-19 in a crushing victory for India.
Odds
To Win Outright - 11/5